Russian Elect Committee Wants Vote Results for Mobile Users

MOSCOW, Dec 26 (Prime-Tass) -- Russia's Central Election Commission plans to develop a technology that allows mobile phone users to receive latest results of federal elections, the commission's Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov said at a news conference Monday.

In order to obtain election results, mobile subscribers will have to send requests, Veshnyakov said.

Veshnyakov argued that mobile subscribers were a more important audience, than Internet users in Russia. Of the 140 million people living in Russia, about 70 million people use mobile phones, while only 20 million use Internet, Veshnyakov said.

The Central Election Commission currently publishes election results on its Web site providing daily updates.

"If we fulfill this task, opportunities for public control over the election process will expand dramatically,” Veshnyakov said.

The Central Electoral Commission is also developing an electronic voting system to replace paper ballots, he added. The electronic system may be used during presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007-2008, he added.

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Posted to the site on 26th December 2005